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Raheem Sterling will NOT be sold to Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United or Man City this summer
LIVERPOOL expect Raheem Sterling to remain at Anfield for “a long time” despite his contract stand-off with the club.
Chief executive Ian Ayre intimated the England winger would not be sold in the summer which will disappoint the Manchester clubs, City and United, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Sterling has turned down a £100,000-a-week deal and pushed negotiations back until the summer.
He has since become embroiled in more controversy with pictures showing him
smoking a shisha pipe and inhaling laughing gas.
Manager Brendan Rodgers will remind Sterling of his responsibilities, but his contract situation will cause more concerns.
Liverpool are determined to play hardball with the player and his agent, Aidy Ward, and it is thought it would take an offer of around £50m for the club to even consider selling him.
Ayre said: “Raheem's agent has asked that we park all discussions regards his future until the summer. We respect that.
“Raheem is a Liverpool player and has two years left on his contract. We expect Raheem Sterling to be here for a long
time.”
Sterling scored his 11th goal of the season in Monday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United which lifted Liverpool to within four points of fourth-place City.
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Raheem Sterling pictured AGAIN with a shisha pipe... this time with Liverpool team-mate Jordon Ibe in fresh embarrassment
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sp...Jordon-Ibe-pictured-shisha-pipe.html#comments
Raheem Sterling has prompted new concerns over smoking after fresh pictures emerged of him holding a shisha pipe – this time joined by his teenage Liverpool team-mate Jordon Ibe.
The pictures, believed to have been taken in a London bar earlier this season, show the young stars sat together and both are holding shisha pipes.
Casually dressed, the pair are sat on a sofa in front of a table with shisha pipes, cans of fizzy Fanta orange and a portable music speaker.
Sterling, who is considering his future at Liverpool, and Ibe are considered as the two brightest stars to emerge at the club as they battle to stay among the Barclays Premier League pacesetters.
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Liverpool players Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe have been pictured smoking a shisha pipe
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This is the second time Sterling has been pictured smoking from a shisha pipe in the past few days
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The pictures will heap further embarrassment on Liverpool after other recent revelations involving Sterling
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Sterling on his feet holding a shisha pipe
Sterling, 20, is battling controversy after the first picture, revealed on Sunday, showed him smoking a shisha pipe.
A video then emerged showing him passing out after inhaling nitrous oxide – otherwise known as ‘laughing gas’ or ‘hippy crack’. The England international has been the subject of a club probe into why he was taking the legal high.
But the sight of 19-year-old starlet Ibe, who has made his breakthrough into the Liverpool first team this season, will cause even more concern with club officials, who have declined to comment on the latest pictures.
Sterling's representative also refused to comment.
Ibe, wearing a red hoodie and ripped black jeans, is pictured holding a shisha pipe.
He is sitting next to Sterling, who is wearing a tight white v-neck t-shirt and blue jeans, on the sofa.
The pair can be seen smiling and joking as they hold on to the pipes in the bar.
Liverpool will be anxious that Sterling does not further damage his public image after a tempestuous period, in which he has become involved in a contract stand-off with the club.
He was heckled at the launch of the club’s new kit last week, while a pocket of supporters chanted ‘Raheem Sterling, your agent’s a c***’ during the 2-0 win over Newcastle on Monday night, in which Sterling scored the opening goal.
Sterling has turned down a deal worth around £100,000 per week and does not want to resume negotiations until the end of the season. He infuriated Liverpool when he gave an interview to the BBC — without permission — to talk about his contract stand-off and why he did not want to be perceived as a ‘greedy 20-year-old’.
Asked on Monday if he will be reminding Sterling of his responsibilities, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said: ‘I will do. He’s a young kid who has been in the spotlight now so he knows the demands of being a top class professional — it’s not just on the field it’s off the field, but I will speak with him on it and we’ll move on.’
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The players, wearing casual clothing, inhale from the lit shisha pipe (bottom right)
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It appears that the two players have a shisha pipe apiece and are also drinking Fanta
WHAT IS SHISHA?
Shisha is a water pipe in which flavoured tobacco is roasted with charcoal. The tobacco smoke passes through a water chamber and is inhaled deeply and slowly. The flavoured tobacco smells sweet, making it an enjoyable and relaxing experience, according to enthusiasts.